IWPR Publication

Access to paid sick days promotes healthy work environments by reducing the spread of illnesses, increasing productivity, and supporting work and family balance. Paid sick days allow employees to take time off work to recover from personal illnesses and tend to family members’ health without the fear of monetary or other negative consequences.
Despite the importance of paid sick days, a large proportion of workers in the Portland, Oregon, area receive no paid sick time at all. This fact sheet presents paid sick days access rates by occupation, sex, race and ethnicity, and personal income in the Portland area. The Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) derived these estimates through analysis of government data sources including the National Health Interview Survey and the American Community Survey.